Holiday Cheer
by Thalius
Summary: A bunch of small Christmas-themed prompts for all my various beloved halo pairings. So far: [John/Kelly], [Buck/Dare]
1. John x Kelly - Warm Drinks

**John/Kelly - Warm Drinks**

* * *

Kelly dug her fingers into the automatic door, hearing it groan in protest as she allowed it to open just enough to let her to slip by. She keyed it closed immediately when she was inside Blue Team's quarters, and it shut with an indignant _thunk._

The massive lump in John's bed was still there, and she frowned when she saw his meal sitting untouched on his bedside table. His back was turned to her, and his legs were curled up loosely near his chest. He was definitely not himself yet.

"John," she whispered, moving over to his bed.

"Yes." His voice was hoarse, and it was followed by a controlled cough.

"I brought you a hot drink."

The lump muffled at her, either in protest or acquiescence she couldn't tell. Kelly sighed and set the mug down next to his plate, and then sat herself on the edge of his mattress. Her hand went to his forehead.

"Still warm," she said, concerned. "How are you feeling?"

"Annoyed," he replied. His head shifted, and he looked up at her. Even in the darkness of the cabin, his eyes were a focused blue. "We have too much work to do."

"It's your own fault." She tapped his shoulder, a signal for him to sit up, and she stepped away to let him orient himself. "Both the techs _and_ the doctors told you to take it easy."

"They always say that." He reached for the mug and brought it up to his mouth to sip. She watched his face scrunch together as he got a mouthful of the hot toddy, and he pulled the mug away from his face. John coughed and gave her a wary look. "What's in this?"

"Lemon, honey and whiskey. It'll clear your sinuses, and it smells better than vapour rub. Help to break your fever, too."

He grunted and passed it to her, and she set it back down on the table. "Thank you," he rasped, swinging his feet up and shuffling back under the covers. A forceful shudder ran through him, hard enough to shake the bed.

"Keep drinking that," she told him. He was already rolling back up into a ball, and his head disappeared under the blanket.

"Aye, ma'am."

"I'm serious."

"I will."

"You're awful at lying."

A hoarse laugh came from under the sheets, followed by another shudder. Kelly shook her head and kicked off her boots. "Move over," she ordered.

"What are you doing?" His head poked out and he squinted at her.

"You're shivering, and the blankets are way too thin. _Move over."_

"You'll get sick." He didn't move an inch. She put a hand on his shoulder again, this time in warning.

"That's my business, not yours."

"Of course it's my business," he grumbled. She nudged him, and he finally shifted over with a sigh. "Can't have two of us feeling under the weather."

"I'll manage." She slipped in behind him, being careful to keep the sheets tucked in tightly. Kelly was hit with a huge wall of heat from his back despite his shivering, but when she wrapped a hand around his ribs to find his hand, his fingers were freezing.

"You're a mess," she whispered into his neck, and saw tiny goosebumps flare over his ruddy skin. She pressed a kiss to the exposed skin, and heard him sigh.

"And you really shouldn't be this close to me."

"I have the advantage of taking much better care of myself," she replied, tucking her legs in flush behind his and trying to cover as much surface area of his body as she could. "You're lucky you've only got a head cold with what you've done to yourself."

He chuckled in response and squeezed her fingers. His extremities were already beginning to warm up again, but she had no intentions of going anywhere.

"Besides," she murmured, pressing her face into the back of his neck. "I've stayed away for three days. This just gives me an excuse to be close to you."

His breathing was a ragged whisper in the quiet of their quarters. John didn't respond, but he did push up against her in answer, and she slipped a hand under his shirt as if they were going to sleep normally. She wasn't all that tired, but the waves of heat radiating off of his skin were relaxing enough to lull her into a contented stupor. She could hear him slipping back off to sleep, his hoarse breathing evening out and his nose softly whistling. Kelly smiled into his skin and closed her eyes, only just realising he might have used her cuddling up to him as an excuse not to drink the hot toddy she'd made him.


	2. Buck x Dare - Mistletoe

**AN:** wow, thanks to everyone who left me a lovely review! I'm not used to having such a rapid response for a halo fic. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Also, pushing the rating up to T for a naked Buck leg.

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 **Buck/Dare - Mistletoe**

 _This takes place during their shore leave on Desderson V, right before Buck goes in for his first round of Spartan surgeries._

* * *

Veronica was long used to waking up in unfamiliar places, but the sight above the bed was a few notches above her regular threshold for the unorthodox.

She squinted, trying to focus in on the mishmash of visual information she was taking in. Her view materialised after a moment and she realised that she was staring at Buck's ankle, with his foot planted on the bedside table. She followed the line of his leg upwards and saw one of his arms looped around a support beam in their cabin, his free hand trying to tie something above their bed.

She reached over and pulled at the edge of his sock, snapping it against a fuzzy shin. He retracted his leg up into the air, a surprised " _ah!"_ coming out of him.

"You pulled out a hair," he complained, frowning down at her in between his two outstretched arms.

"And you're climbing on the furniture." She sat up into a cross legged position on the mattress, bringing the heavy comforter with her, and blinked up at him. Besides his socks, the only other article of clothing he had on was a t-shirt. "Naked."

"Partially," he amended. "I didn't think this would take this long. Can you, um, pass me my pants? It's cold in here."

"What are you trying to do, exactly?" Veronica swung her feet down onto the floorboards and immediately regretted it when her toes met the icy, unforgiving wood. Steeling herself, she pulled the blankets tight around her shoulders and shuffled towards his pants, which were in a lump by the balcony window.

"I'm hanging up—" He paused and frowned at the empty package in his hand. "Mis-til-toe. Mistletoe. I bought it yesterday, but then you confessed your undying love to me and held me captive in bed for ten hours, so I didn't have a chance to hang it up 'til now."

"You're not captive if you go willingly." Veronica shuffled back and handed him his pants, which he put on while still standing on the table. He passed her the small thicket of pine and berries he was holding while he shoved into his jeans.

"Citing ONI POW regs to me, I see." He didn't bother to button up his pants, and they hung precariously low in his hips. Not that that was a problem, really.

"No," she replied, smiling and handing him back the mistletoe. "Just stating the obvious."

Buck harrumphed at her as he went back to his work, and Veronica slid eagerly back into their warm bed. "You still haven't said what it's for."

"It's an Earth holiday thing," he explained, looping ribbon around the beam and tying it to the string binding the pine together. "You have to kiss every time you're under it."

She laughed. "But you can already kiss me whenever you want." For the rest of the week, at least, and then it was up to the whims of whoever approved their leave time applications concurrently. She shoved the thought away. She'd deal with reality when Buck was shipped off to Mars at the end of the week.

"This just gives me an extra excuse," he replied, grinning at her. He finished the knot and hopped down off the table, which rocked from the sudden release of his weight. Buck lifted up the edge of the comforter and began to slide back into bed, but she put a hand out to stop him.

"No pants," she said, giving his jeans a pointed look.

His grin grew wider as he shoved back out of them and slipped into bed next to her in one smooth motion. "Much b—" Her words were cut off by a forceful kiss that made her grab onto his arm for balance. "Better," she finished when he pulled away, dazed and a little out of breath.

"I told you it was a good investment." He kissed her again, more softly this time.

"Maybe we can put another one by the door," she said against his mouth, and he laughed.

"I love the way you think."

"And I love you." It sent a thrill through her to say it again, when the words were still so fresh between them, and she felt Eddie shudder at her words.

"I love you, too," he whispered back, and it was her turn to shiver. It felt good to finally say the words to him; it felt even better to hear them.

She kissed him this time, and he immediately melted into her. "I think I will buy more," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Later, though." Veronica slid a hand under his shirt, feeling his heart thud against her palm.

"Later," he agreed, and then they didn't talk for a while after that.


End file.
